The 2023 Game Awards Should Have Expanded The GOTY Category

The Game Awards has revealed its 2023 line-up for the Game of the Year award, but there are some notable names missing from the list. To solve this, the number of entrees should have been expanded this year.

2023 might have the most stacked line-up of top-quality games in recent years. This is likely a result of many titles having their productions influenced by the pandemic, pushing back some games that could have launched in 2023, resulting in a year where gamers’ wallets have been constantly drained by the endless stream of impeccable titles.

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More Than Six Games Deserved To Be Nominated For GOTY

The Game Awards 2023 nominees have been revealed. While nearly every month of 2023 was met with an outstanding game release, there are only six titles in the Game of the Year category: Alan Wake 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

All of these games are worthy of being nominated, being both critical and commercial darlings, but there are many titles that are notable by their absence on the list. Possibly the biggest is Starfield, Bethesda’s universe-exploring epic, which has its detractors but is undoubtedly an incredible accomplishment.

Other games worthy of inclusion are titles like Final Fantasy XVI and Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, which also found a huge audience in 2023. And while Metacritic scores aren’t the be-all and end-all, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 didn’t review as well as games like Diablo IV, Street Fighter 6, Sea of Stars, or Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

While many of these games appear in other categories in The Game Awards 2023, they still deserve their shot at the top prize. Even if they face an uphill battle against Baldur’s Gate 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, they should be recognized for their quality.

The GOTY Award Should Have Been Expanded For 2023

One way to acknowledge 2023 as a landmark year in gaming is a one-off increase in GOTY applicants. Bumping the number up to eight or even ten entries would have made room for deserving contenders, giving them their opportunity to take on the other killer titles of the year.

Additionally, this could have been a way to promote the show. Imagine, “The Game Awards 2023 faces such a deluge of amazing content that its most notable category had to be expanded to reflect that fact.” Or Geoff Keighley, using his iconic host voice to announce, “2023 was so incredible that the biggest award show had to expand its most prestigious category to accommodate it.”

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It’s a shame that some amazing games won’t be in the running for the GOTY award this year, but the competition has never been fiercer. Players have been overwhelmed with the sheer amount of quality on display in 2023, regardless of what systems they own, and the fact that games like Starfield, Final Fantasy XVI, and Street Fighter 6 are being snubbed is a testament to an amazing year.